ITfC submission to the TRAI consultation paper -2016

ITfC has made submissions to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in response to the two consultation papers it released, one on free data and another a more general pre-consultation on net neutrality.

On the consultation paper on free data TRAI sought comments on alternate models of providing access to the Internet which did not involve differential pricing. It suggested three models; first, a ‘reward for action’ model hosted on a TSP agnostic platform; second, a toll free API model; and third, a direct money transfer model. ITfC in its submission strongly opposed the first two models which apart from being violation of net neutrality also go against the recent TRAI order on differential pricing. . ITfC supports a direct transfer model provided that it is motivated by public interest, not based on prior access to the Internet by the beneficiary and enables access to the entire Internet, and not some restricted content. Read our submission here. Second input is in response to TRAI's pre- consultation paper on Net Neutrality, in which it sought contributions on, amongst other things, the core principles of net neutrality in the Indian context, traffic management, and online privacy. ITfC has argued that as the Internet becomes important with respect to economic, political, social and cultural right of people, net neutrality regulation must take a rights bases approach. Further, it must focus on 'social effect', looking at what actually happens at the user/consumer end rather than just what a TSP can or cannot do. Read our submission here.